Vendor management system and process

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is a novel vendor management system and method that enables one or more parties to assign various types of files to one or more other parties for review and processing. Multiple business clients are able to refer a variety of files to a select group of vendors having expertise in a particular business or process. Further, the present invention provides a robust and flexible platform to support diverse referrals and workflow needs as well as access to referred files by the vendor, client, and adverse party.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to application Ser. No. 60/880,937,filed Jan. 17, 2007.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to the field of vendormanagement. More specifically, the present invention relates to a systemand method for enabling one party to assign various types of files andrelated information to another party for further processing andhandling. Wherein the files are assigned based on a unique and novelvendor bench marking system and method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Typically, when a first party desires to assign a file to a secondparty, the first party utilizes a manual process. By way of example, aninsurance company phones or emails an attorney that it wishes tocontract to handle a subrogation litigation. The insurance company thencopies or scans the necessary data pertaining to the claim and sends itvia a standard delivery method (e.g. regular mail, fax, email, etc).

Copying and/or scanning and sending the necessary data is often timeconsuming and delays the acceptance of the referral by the proposedvendor. Such a delay is undesirable. For example, in subrogationlitigation there is a generally inverse relationship between the amountof time the claim goes uncollected and the successful collection of thepayment. That is, the longer a claim goes uncollected, the less likelyit is to be successfully collected.

Because each referral must be manually sent to each vendor, this processcan often be laborious and require many hours for the client tosuccessfully assign the referral. The client must keep track of thevendor(s) that the files have been sent to as well as physically sendthe files to each proposed vendor via a standard delivery method.

Furthermore, before the client can send the file out to vendors, it mustfirst find suitable vendors for the file. Again, this can often takeconsiderable time and effort on the client's part. For each proposedvendor, the client must physically send the necessary data. Of course,the more often the client has found vendors for related files in thepast, the less amount of time it will likely take to successfully assignrelated files in the future. Nevertheless, as the assigning process is amanual process, it remains time consuming to repeatedly copy, scan andsend the necessary data.

If the first proposed vendor rejects the referral, the client must findanother vendor and send the necessary data to that vendor. This processwill continue until either a proposed vendor accepts the referral or theclient decides to close the file without action (e.g. without payment ofa claim). Additionally, for each new referral, this process must berepeated.

Once an appropriate vendor is identified and accepts the referred file,the vendor typically needs to obtain certain additional data. Again, asthis data must be copied and/or scanned and sent via a standard deliverymethod, undesirable further delay results. Upon receipt of the necessarydata, the vendor typically utilizes an automated claim processingsystem. Such automated claim processing systems are well-known in theart, and include both proprietary and open-source platforms.

As the vendor referral process is typically a manual process requiringconsiderable time and effort for each referral, there is a clear need inthe art for an automated vendor management system and method.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the various deficiencies associated withthe prior art by creating a novel management system that provides theclient with an automated referral process to efficiently assign aselected one or more of a plurality of files or accounts to one of aplurality of vendors that satisfy certain requirements. Importantly, inthe present invention the term vendor may refer to any party (i.e. anattorney, expert, a handler or group of handlers, etc,) contacted by theclient to handle a file or a plurality of files.

The present invention discloses a system and method to enable multipleclients to refer a variety of files to a select group of vendors havingexpertise in a particular line of business or process. The presentinvention preferably provides clients with a network of such vendorsthat would not normally be available to the clients without aconsiderable amount of time and research to find such expert vendors.

Furthermore, the present invention provides a robust and flexibleplatform to support diverse referrals and workflow needs. The presentinvention may also create a set of standard reports to monitor thevendor management process. The present invention preferablyautomatically triggers files at a certain point/action in a strategyworkflow. The present invention also enables a client to manuallytrigger files by inserting an action on an account. Triggered files maybe automatically allocated across a pool of qualified vendors. Thepresent invention preferably determines frequency of referrals by theclient, the file type, or both.

The present invention also provides vendors with the ability toimmediately view pertinent information online for referred accounts, toaccess various documents related to the referral, and to accept, reject,and/or return a referred file. Furthermore, the present inventionenables the clients and eligible vendors to communicate regarding areferred file. Preferably, an online platform is provided through whichthe vendors can submit correspondence regarding the referred, rejected,and/or returned accounts. Some files may require processing by specificvendors (e.g. subrogation claims processed by subrogation specialists,lawsuits processed by attorneys, etc,) in this embodiment the clientwill identify relevant file parameters necessary for processing by thevendor.

If an online platform is implemented as described above, the system willsend the vendor a referral file containing all the necessary files (e.g.claim details, personal information, status, etc.) via the onlineplatform. Larger vendors (e.g. subrogation vendors, large law firms,debt collectors, etc) typically export the necessary files to theirinternal systems. Smaller vendors (e.g. individual attorneys) typicallywill not. In the latter scenario, the system of the present inventionprovides smaller vendors with a report format containing the necessaryinformation to successfully process and handle the referral.Additionally, the adverse party involved in specific claims may be giventemporary and limited access to materials pertinent to the given claim,likewise the access may be permanent.

Files may be allocated, for example, based on round robin logic, apercent allocation by file type to each acceptable vendor, data mining,or predictive modeling (e.g. based on such factors as expertise in agiven field, prior success rate, time for successful completion, etc).

Alternatively, the client may select a specific vendor to whom the filewill be referred. In this scenario, the allocation process is bypassed.Once the file has been allocated to the vendor, the workflow platform isupdated with that vendor as the external specialist for the account.

In one embodiment, the present invention may refer related accounts tothe same vendor thereby further increasing the efficiency of thereferral process. Referring related accounts to the same vendor isadvantageous to both the client and the vendor. The vendors who havepreviously accepted similar referrals may be more likely to acceptfuture related referrals. Also, the vendor gains additional experiencewith each new referral thus increasing the likelihood of quick andsuccessful performance to complete the necessary tasks related to thereferrals. Furthermore, the client may manually override this option andchoose a vendor to whom the files should be referred in the future.

After the initial referral is made, the system notifies the vendor andprovides the vendor with any changes to the account. For example, if afinancial balance of a referred account changes after initial referral(e.g. an additional loss payment is made), the vendor will be notified.

The client may choose to withdraw one or more referral accounts from aparticular vendor and reassign them to another eligible vendor, asnecessary. The client may manually choose which vendor to reassign thefile to from a list of eligible vendors or it may allow the system toautomatically reassign the file to another eligible vendor via roundrobin logic, data mining, predictive modeling, etc. In the formersituation, the system will automatically refer future related files tothe newly chosen eligible vendor. Further, when the client chooses toreassign the file, it will be given the option to remove a particularvendor from the eligible list of vendors such that no or fewer files arereferred to that vendor in the future.

Additionally, the present invention preferably alerts the client if afile has been referred but has not been closed for longer than apredetermined acceptable period of time as determined by the client.Accordingly, if a first placement vendor fails to close the referredfile after a certain period, the file may be automatically advanced instrategy and assigned to a second placement vendor.

It is possible that all eligible vendors have reviewed and rejected areferred file. In this case, the referred file is preferablyautomatically closed. Alternatively, the referred file may be held openfor a certain period. The system of the present invention periodicallychecks to determine whether any new eligible vendors meeting thenecessary criteria exist. If such new vendors exist, the file isreferred to them for review.

The present invention also provides vendors with the option to submit arecommendation to close a file. The handler then preferably reviews therecommendation manually and determines whether or not to close the file.Furthermore, in an alternative embodiment the review may be automated.

When a vendor accepts a referred file, the system of present inventionassigns the appropriate strategy and actions for that particular filetype. After a vendor completes work on a file, the vendor has theability to close the file. In an alternative embodiment the closure of agiven file may be exclusively determined by the client without departingfrom the spirit of the present invention. Closure of the file preferablyautomatically generates the calculation of a fee for services. Thepresent invention may automatically compile a billing report for aspecified period based on these fees.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the client (e.g. automobileinsurance provider) may identify a group of files amongst a plurality offiles that are likely to have a favorable outcome to the client butrequire specific processing (e.g. auto insurance claim where the liableparty does not have insurance but is considered likely to pay out ofpocket) by a specialized vendor (e.g. debt collector, attorney,subrogation specialist, etc). The client may then transfer the selectedgroup of claims to the vendor, whereby the vendor may be required toprocess and manage claims.

Next, the client may determine which information is relevant to eachfile (e.g. type of car accident, makes of cars involved, models andyears of cars involved, location of car accident, etc.) in order todetermine the likely outcome of the file settlement. In one embodiment,the client may score the files based on the aforementioned informationrelevant to each file in order to determine which files are more likelyto be settled with an outcome favorable to the client. In an alternativeembodiment, the client may determine arbitrarily which files are likelyto be settled with a favorable outcome without departing from the spiritof the present invention.

Next, the client may decide which files are to be pursued aggressively,which are to be pursued less aggressively, and which are to beabandoned. Subsequently, the client may allocate the files according tothe vendors which are the most likely to yield a favorable outcome tothe client, as determined based on scoring or any other relevantinformation.

Next, the client may transfer the claim information and all relevantmaterials to the vendor for processing and handling, the client maydetermine which vendor is likely to yield the most favorable outcome ina given file, the client may also determine how to distribute the filesbased on the cost of each vendor. Alternatively, the client may use anyor all of the aforementioned factors, as well as any other factors theclient deems fit to determine which vendor will handle each file.

Furthermore, a vendor may provide the client with a lower rate onreferred files based on any or all of the following factors: the clientis a preferred returning client, the client is allocating, a largevolume or amount of files, or any other factor the vendor sees fit,without departing from the spirit of the present invention.Additionally, those claims whose outcome is determined to have a highprobability of being unfavorable to the client, may be sent to a lowcost vendor. In an alternative embodiment, such claims may not bepursued at all.

In the preferred embodiment, the above described steps will beimplemented via an integrated online platform. However, the vendor,client, and/or adverse party may choose to send all materials viastandard means (e.g. mail, physical delivery, etc.) without departingfrom the spirit of the present invention.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changesmay be made in such details without departing from the spirit and theprinciples of the invention. It should be appreciated that the presentinvention is capable of being embodied in various other forms withoutdeparting from its essential characteristics.

The present invention may also include a bench marking system and methodfor vendor management. This aspect of the present invention willpreferably determine each vendor's capacity and capability to handle andprocess specific files.

This may include determining each vendor's performance in a specificaccount, the vendor's performance within a work type category (e.g.attorney work, debt collection, etc), the vendor's experience assessedby years of experience, the vendor's experience assessed by work done bythe vendor to date, the vendor's prior success rate, the vendor's cost,the vendor's time to successful completion, and any other factor whichmay be deemed useful in assessing the performance of a vendor.

The factors above may generally be used with the scoring system. This isdone in order for the client to be able to identify vendors best suitedfor particular types of work. Alternatively, methods other than scoringa vendor may incorporate the abovementioned factors in order todetermine which vendor should be assigned a specific file, withoutdeparting from the spirit of the present invention.

It is important to note that, the above listing of factors used toassess vendor performance is present for illustrative purposes, and isnot meant to be an exhaustive enumeration of all of the possible factorsby which a vendor's performance may be assessed. Any factors which aredeemed useful by the client in determining vendor performance may beused in conjunction with the present invention in order to determine theperformance of a vendor without departing from the spirit of the presentinvention.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to enable a client tosecurely and cost effectively assign various file types to certainvendors for further processing and handling.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a customized filereferral layout.

Still another object of the present invention is to assign a particularvendor from a pool of vendors through the implementation of client setrules.

Another object of the present invention is to enable a vendor to accesscertain portions of a referred file/s via an online platform in order tomake a determination of whether to accept or reject the referred file/s.

Yet another object of the present invention is to enable the vendor todownload files of accepted referrals to its own internal system wherethe files may be utilized within the vendor's preferred workflow.

Another object of the present invention is to notify the client if thevendor rejects the file.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to reassignrejected files to another vendor.

Still another object of the present invention is to enable the clientand vendor to communicate via updates to the referral file.

Yet another object of the present invention is to enable clients toautomatically direct files to the appropriate pool of eligible vendorswhile maintaining control of the referred volume.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a systemthat manages a plurality of vendors through improved tracking of filesand vendor performance.

A further object of the present invention is to provide vendorsimmediate electronic access to referral data.

Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide vendors,and adverse parties with a single point of contact for multiple clients.

Another object of the present invention is to enable vendors to easilyaccept or reject files at their discretion.

A still further object of the present invention is to enable a client orvendor to process transactions one-by-one, in bulk, or in selectedgroups.

Other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention,as well as the methods of operation and functions of the relatedelements of the structure, and the combination of parts and economies ofmanufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of thedetailed description below, all of which form a part of thisspecification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the present invention can be obtained byreference to a preferred embodiment set forth in the illustrations ofthe accompanying drawings. Although the illustrated embodiment is merelyexemplary of systems for carrying out the present invention, both theorganization and method of operation of the invention, in general,together with further objectives and advantages thereof, may be moreeasily understood by reference to the drawings and the followingdescription. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of thisinvention, which is set forth with particularity in the claims asappended or as subsequently amended, but merely to clarify and exemplifythe invention.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart depicting the steps taken when assigning data toa vendor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart depicting the steps taken when assigning data toa vendor in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart depicting the steps taken when assigning data toa vendor in accordance with yet another alternative embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting the steps taken during periodic accountmonitoring of vendor management in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting the steps taken when periodicallyupdating a client account in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart depicting the steps taken when periodicallymanaging and adjusting the vendor for a given account in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting the steps taken when periodicallymanaging and adjusting the vendor for a given account in accordance withan alternative embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart depicting the steps taken when periodicallymanaging and adjusting the vendor for a given account in accordance withyet another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram depicting the system on which the methods of thepresent invention may be implemented in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A detailed illustrative embodiment of the present invention is disclosedherein. However, techniques, systems and operating structures inaccordance with the present invention may be embodied in a wide varietyof forms and modes, some of which may be quite different from those inthe disclosed embodiment. Consequently, the specific structural andfunctional details disclosed herein are merely representative, yet inthat regard, they are deemed to afford the best embodiment for purposesof disclosure and to provide a basis for the claims herein, which definethe scope of the present invention.

A further understanding of the present invention can be obtained byreference to a preferred embodiment. Although the illustrated embodimentis merely exemplary of systems for carrying out the present invention,both the organization and method of operation of the invention, ingeneral, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, may bemore easily understood by reference to the following description. Thedescription is not intended to limit the scope of this invention, butmerely to clarify and exemplify the invention.

Moreover, well known methods, procedures, and substances for bothcarrying out the objectives of the present invention and illustratingthe preferred embodiment are incorporated herein but have not beendescribed in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure novel aspects of thepresent invention.

None of the terms used herein, including “company”, “individual”,“purchaser”, “member”, “client”, “business client”, “consumer”, “group”,“person”, and “corporation” are not meant to limit the scope of theinvention to one type of entity, as any entity or individual can alsoutilize the present invention.

Additionally, the use of the terms “file”, “document”, “paperwork”,“record”, and “form” are not meant to limit the scope of the inventionto one type of entity. The terms are used interchangeably forconvenience. The following presents a detailed description of apreferred embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention provides a vehicle that allows business clients orany other type of clients to refer a variety of types of files.Furthermore, the present invention identifies specific file types andlines of business to be referred to a specific pool of eligible vendors.The present invention applies strategy and actions suitable for thereferral type. Importantly, in the present invention the term vendor mayrefer to any party (i.e. an attorney, expert, a handler or group ofhandlers, etc,) contacted by the client to handle a file or a pluralityof files.

By way of example herein, the handling of certain insurance claims isdescribed in detail. However, one with skill in the art will readilyappreciate that the disclosed system and method are not limited to aspecific file or work type (e.g. insurance claims). Rather, any type ofclaim or other account requiring handling by a vendor may be managed bythe automated vendor management system and method disclosed herein.

The present invention preferably automatically refers a file to a vendorwithin a vendor category when a certain action code(s) exists on thefile. Some files may require processing by specific vendors (e.g.subrogation claims processed by subrogation specialists, lawsuitsprocessed by attorneys, etc,) in this embodiment the client willidentify relevant file parameters necessary for processing by thevendor. The action code(s) is/are preferably specific for each referraltype and triggers the file details to be sent to an appropriate vendorcategory to receive the file type. The triggers may be the last actionof a strategy or may be manually inserted on a file to trigger areferral. Examples of triggers include, but are not limited to, secondplacement collection referral, vendor arbitration, and uninsuredmotorist vendor management referral (e.g. no response, payment plan,etc).

The allocation process may utilize, for example, a percentage basedallocation routine within a pool of eligible vendors based on the typeof referral, by the client's preferences, round robin logic, datamining, or predictive modeling (e.g. based on such factors as expertisein a given field, prior success rate, time for successful completion,etc).

For example, arbitration files may be allocated by percentage among allor certain eligible vendors identified as being arbitration vendors,second placement files may be allocated among all or certain eligiblesecond placement collection work vendors, etc.

The client also has the option to allocate a certain percentage of filesto certain select vendors. For example, a client may allocate 50% ofsecond placement collection files and 20% of arbitration files to acertain vendor. Once the file has been allocated to a vendor, the systemis updated with that vendor being identified as the external specialistfor that account.

The present invention further enables manual referral within theautomatic process. That is, the client may refer a file to a particularvendor as desired instead of allowing it to go through the automatedallocation process. In this example, the automated process is overriddenby the manual selection of a particular vendor.

FIG. 1 depicts the steps taken when assigning data to a vendor. Theprocedure of FIG. 1 starts in step 102, and proceeds to step 104 wherefirst a set of standard reports to monitor vendor management is created,next files are automatically triggered in the workflow in step 106.Subsequently, the frequency of referral by a client is then determinedin step 108, next the file type is determined in step 110, and in step112 the frequency of referral to a specific vendor is determined.

An automatic allocation method is then chosen in step 114, the automaticallocation method may be based on a percent allocation by file to avendor, or round robin logic. Alternatively, any other automaticallocation method known in the art may be used without departing formthe spirit of the present invention. Next, files are allocated to thevendors in step 116, the workflow pattern to assign a vendor to anaccount is then updated in step 118, and in step 120 referral filescontaining all the necessary referred files are then sent via an onlineplatform to the vendor.

Each vendor may require a specially formatted report regarding thecollection of files allocated to the vendor, thus a determination if avendor requires a formatted report is carried out next in step 122. Ifthe vendor requires a formatted report, the formatted report is sent instep 124, if the vendor does not require a formatted report step 124 isskipped and an unformatted report is sent to the vendor in step 126.Finally, the account information is updated in step 128 and theprocedure ends in step 130.

FIG. 2 depicts the steps of an alternative method of assigning data to avendor. The procedure of FIG. 2 starts in step 202, and proceeds to step104 where a set of standard reports to monitor vendor management iscreated. Next in step 204, files are manually triggered in the workflow.Subsequently, the frequency of referral by a client is then determinedin step 108, next the file type is determined in step 110, and thefrequency of referral to a specific vendor is determined in step 112.

A vendor is then chosen manually in step 206, the allocation method maybe based on a specific internal system, or may be done arbitrarily bythe client. Next, files are allocated to the vendors in step 116, theworkflow pattern to assign a vendor to an account is then updated instep 118, and in step 120 referral files containing all the necessaryreferred files are then sent via an online platform to the vendor.

Each vendor may require a specially formatted report regarding thecollection of files allocated to the vendor, thus a determination if avendor requires a formatted report is carried out next in step 122. Ifthe vendor requires a formatted report the formatted report is sent instep 124, if the vendor does not require a formatted report step 124 isskipped and an unformatted report is sent to the vendor in step 126.Finally, the account information is updated in step 128 and theprocedure ends in step 208.

FIG. 3 depicts the steps of yet another alternative method of assigningdata to a vendor. The procedure of FIG. 3 starts in step 302, andproceeds to step 104 where a set of standard reports to monitor vendormanagement is created. Next files are automatically triggered in theworkflow in step 106. Subsequently, the frequency of referral by aclient is then determined in step 108, next the file type is determinedin step 110, and the frequency of referral to a specific vendor isdetermined in step 112.

A vendor is then determined manually by distributing files across a poolof qualified vendors in step 304. Next, files are allocated to thevendors in step 116, the workflow pattern to assign a vendor to anaccount is then updated in step 118, and referral files containing allthe necessary referred files are then sent via an online platform to thevendor in step 120.

Each vendor may require a specially formatted report regarding thecollection of files allocated to the vendor, thus a determination if avendor requires a formatted report is carried out next in step 122. Ifthe vendor requires a formatted report the formatted report is sent instep 124, if the vendor does not require a formatted report step 124 isskipped and an unformatted report is sent to the vendor in step 126.Finally, the account information is updated in step 128 and theprocedure ends in step 306.

After the initial referral is made, the system notifies the vendor andprovides the vendor with any changes to the account. For example, if afinancial balance of a referred account changes after initial referral(e.g. an additional loss payment is made), the vendor will be notifiedof such financial change.

The client may choose to withdraw one or more referral accounts from aparticular vendor and reassign them to another eligible vendor, asnecessary. The client may manually choose which vendor to reassign thefile to from a list of eligible vendors or it may allow the system toautomatically reassign the file to another eligible vendor via roundrobin logic, data mining, predictive modeling, etc. In the formersituation, the system will automatically refer future related files tothe newly chosen eligible vendor. Further, when the client chooses toreassign the file, it will be given the option to remove a particularvendor from the eligible list of vendors such that no files or fewerfiles are referred to that vendor in the future.

Additionally, the system of the present invention may provide anintegrated online platform which allows access to information regardingthe client (e.g. insurer), the vendor (e.g. attorney), and the adverseparty (e.g. automobile manufacturer) in a claim. The online platformwhich enables the vendor and client, may limit access to files to accessto predetermined portions of referred files. The system may allow thevendor to make a determination of whether to accept or reject a referredfile. For example, an insurance provider (i.e. the client) has learnedthat a car accident for which the client is liable was caused by afaulty car part which is on recall by the automobile manufacturer (i.e.the adverse party).

In the above scenario, the client may choose to refer this claim to anattorney, the attorney may then seek compensation for the insuranceprovider from the automobile manufacturer for the damage resultant fromthe car accident and faulty part on recall. Likewise, in this example asingle integrated online platform may be used to allow for transfer ofdocuments, contacts, exchange of information, and general access to thefiles and materials involved in the claims to all the parties involved.Thus, in the above example the insurance provider (i.e. the client), theattorney (i.e. the vendor), and the automobile manufacturer (i.e. theadverse party) all have access to the claim and all related materialsavailable via the integrated online platform.

In an alternative embodiment, only predetermined portions (e.g. policereport, official claim, etc) may be available for the access of theadverse party while all materials may be available to the vendor and theclient. In another embodiment, the client may impose controls overaccess to predetermined portions of materials available to the vendorand the adverse party via the online platform. Alternatively, controlsover access to predetermined portions of different materials as well aswhich materials are accessible to any other party may be imposed by thevendor without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Additionally, the system may have a user interface which allows for easynavigation and retrieval of files or any other materials availablethrough the system of the present invention. The user interface may alsobe used to allow the vendor to accept or reject referred files.Alternatively, the vendor may use preprogrammed computer code to acceptor reject referred files automatically based on predetermined parameters(i.e., the refereeing client, probability of success in file, incomesize from handling the file, etc,).

It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that numerous changesmay be made in such details without departing from the spirit and theprinciples of the present invention. It should be appreciated that thepresent invention is capable of being embodied in other forms withoutdeparting from its essential characteristics.

The system may also perform data mining and other methods of determiningwhether certain files are related and thus should be referred to thesame vendor. As before, the client may manually override this automatedprocess and refer any file it chooses to a certain select vendor.

The system of the present invention may also collect all referrals in anextract file, which is provided to the vendor. The type of referredaccount is identifiable for the vendor in the extract file. Thus, thevendor is able to immediately access and review the file to determinewhether or not to accept the account. The system retains the extractfiles for retrieval for a period of time. It is contemplated that theextract files will be saved for a predetermined period of time (e.g. atleast thirty days), although this period may be adjusted as deemednecessary. In one embodiment, the system does not purge the file untilafter the vendor has downloaded it. In an alternative embodiment thefile may be purged after a predetermined period of time. The frequencyof this batch process is preferably at an interval determined by theclient. For example, the client may elect different frequencies based onfile type.

It is likely that larger vendors will download the export file to theirown internal system for processing. For example, subrogation vendorswill likely download the export file into their own claim systems. Thepresent invention provides smaller vendors (e.g. attorneys) a reportformat for this information since they are not likely to load it intotheir own internal systems.

Furthermore, the present invention also allows the client to pull filesback from one vendor and reassign them to another eligible vendor. Thereassignment process allows for a single file, a group of selectedfiles, or all files for a particular vendor to be reassigned. In orderto properly determine which vendors are suitable for handling specificaccounts the vendors' performance is periodically monitored.Additionally, the vendors' performance may be scored and analyzed basedon a variety of methods.

In one embodiment, the system of the present invention may house thedata needed to generate a report relating to the activities andspecialization of a specific vendor without necessarily generating sucha report. Likewise, the system of the present invention may store dataneeded to generate a report relating to the settlement, outcome andvendor assignment for a claim without generating such a report.

In an alternative embodiment, the reports described above may bemaintained and generated by the system of the present invention. In yetanother alternative embodiment a report may be generated for either thevendor management or claim settlement but not both.

The present invention may also provide reports regarding vendorperformance or file handling. In one embodiment, standard reports areprovided, including balancing reports based on daily activity in orderto monitor any transactions. These reports may include one or more ofthe following sets of information: number of accounts assigned, numberof accounts rejected, number of accounts reassigned, number of accountsoutstanding or open, number of accounts closed or returned after acertain period with money recovered, number of accounts closed orreturned after a certain period without money recovered, placementmoney, percentage placement (based on money), recovered money,percentage recovered (based on money), total number of closed accountsfor a certain period, outstanding money, percentage outstanding (basedon money), and average cycle time (total days of closed accounts dividedby total number of closed accounts). Preferably, calculations regardingclosed accounts exclude rejected accounts, but include both closedaccounts and accounts returned after the specified period.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the systemdescribed herein utilizes scoring of vendors in order to determine whichvendors are best capable of handling certain types of claims.Additionally, in one embodiment, the present invention may implement ascoring process in order to identify which claims or files have thehighest potential for being settled in a manner favorable to the client.

For example, a higher score for a claim may indicate that the claim ismore likely to be resolved in a manner favorable to the client (i.e. theparty that transfers the claim to the vendor for handling), conversely alower score may indicate that the claim is likely to be resolved in amanner favorable to the adverse party. Alternatively, a lower score fora claim may indicate that the claim is more likely to be resolved in amanner favorable to the client, where as a higher score may indicatethat the claim is likely to be resolved in a manner favorable to theadverse party.

Although linear scoring systems have been described above, any othermethod which identifies the likelihood of a given claim being settled ina favorable or adverse manner may be used without departing from thespirit of the present invention. The scoring systems described above maybe used as alternatives or in conjunction with each other. For example,a linear system of scoring may be used for identifying the likelihood ofa favorable outcome of a given claim, while a four-tiered percentagesystem (e.g. top performing 25% of vendors, worse performing 25% ofvendors, etc,) may also be used. Conversely, an identical system may beused to score both the vendor performance and the likelihood of afavorable outcome in claim settlement for the client.

FIG. 4 depicts the method by which the present invention periodicallymonitors vendor performance and management in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The procedure starts in step 400,and proceeds to step 402 where the vendor's performance is assessed fora specific account. Next the vendor's performance is assessed by type ofwork in step 404, subsequently the vendor's experience is assessed byyears of experience in step 406.

The vendor's experience is then assessed by quality of work done to dateby the vendor in step 408, next the vendor's prior success rate isassessed in step 410. Afterwards, the vendor's cost is assessed in step412, then the vendor's time to successful completion on work done todate is assessed in step 414, finally a standard report monitoringvendor management is produced in step 416, and the procedure ends instep 418.

As described above, the present invention may additionally include abench marking system and method for vendor management. This aspect ofthe present invention may preferably determine each vendor's capacityand capability to handle and process specific files.

This may include determining each vendor's performance in a specificaccount, the vendor's performance within a work type category (e.g.attorney work, debt collection, etc), the vendor's experience assessedby years of experience, the vendor's experience assessed by work done byvendor to date, the vendor's prior success rate, the vendor's cost, thevendor's time to successful completion, and any other factor which maybe deemed useful in assessing the performance of a vendor.

The factors above may generally be used with the scoring system. This isdone in order for the client to be able to identify vendors suited forparticular types of work more than other vendors. Alternatively, methodsother than scoring a vendor may incorporate the above-mentioned factorsin order to determine which vendor should be assigned a specific file.

It is important to note that, the above listing of factors used toassess vendor performance is present for illustrative purposes, it isnot meant to be an exhaustive enumeration of all of the possible factorsby which a vendor's performance may be assessed. Any factors which aredeemed useful by the client in determining vendor performance may beused in conjunction with the present invention to determine theperformance of a vendor without departing from the spirit of the presentinvention.

The present invention, absent any indication otherwise by the relevantclient refers related accounts to the same vendor regardless of whetherthe referrals occur on the same day or different days. In the preferredembodiment, the system checks certain criteria to determine whether thecurrently referred account is related to previously referred accounts.For example, the system may check a key claim number when referring eachaccount. If another account with the same key claim number has alreadybeen referred, the subsequent account is preferably referred to the samevendor.

The present invention preferably notifies the vendor if there is achange in the referred account after initial referral (e.g. a change inthe financial balance). In the preferred embodiment, the system enablesthe vendor to access and review the adjustment files as it deemsnecessary for processing and handling.

The system enables vendors to log-in at a website and view allinformation included in the extract file for accounts which have beenreferred to them. In one embodiment the vendor or adverse party may haveaccess to the system via a secure private network. In the insuranceexample, this information may include, but is not limited to, the claimnumber, debtor information, insured information, balance, lossinformation, notes, contacts, carrier information, and other specificdetails. The system further allows the vendor to see all the necessarydetails of a single account and/or all the details for all accountswithin a given download file.

Vendors may be given access to and/or automatically receive copies ofdocuments and reports that are available for the files that have beenreferred to them, thereby reducing the time between initial referral andbeginning file review. That is, the system may enable vendors toelectronically receive a file containing all documents related toaccounts that have been referred to them (e.g. via the provided onlineplatform of the present invention).

If a vendor rejects a claim, the file is automatically re-queued andallocated to another vendor in the same vendor category. A check isbuilt into the system to ensure that the file is not reassigned to avendor that previously rejected it. If a file is rejected by alleligible vendors, the file is preferably automatically closed and aclosing reason may be noted. Upon rejection, the rejecting vendor is nolonger able to view the file details. For the above described reasonsand due to other factors not mentioned here each client account isperiodically monitored.

FIG. 5 depicts the steps taken during the procedure of periodicallyupdating and monitoring a client account in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The procedure starts in step 502,and proceeds to step 504 where it is determined if any account changeshave been made. If it is determined that no changes have been made tothe relevant account the procedure ends in step 536. If however it isdetermined that account changes have been made, it is determined whichvendor is assigned to the relevant account in step 506, next accountchanges for the relevant account are submitted to the vendor in step508, then it is determined which paperwork detailing account changes isrelevant to submit to the vendor in step 510.

The relevant paperwork is submitted to the vendor in step 512, next itis determined if the relevant account is deferred in step 514, if therelevant account is deferred the vendor is notified of account defermentin step 516. If it is determined that the relevant account is notdeferred step 516 is skipped and step 518 is performed. Subsequently, itis determined if the relevant account is rejected in step 518, if theaccount is rejected the vendor is notified of account rejection in step520, if the account is not rejected step 520 is skipped and step 522 isperformed.

It is determined if the account is returned in step 522, if the accountis returned the vendor is notified of account return in step 524, if theaccount is not returned step 524 is skipped and step 526 is performed.Next, it is determined if the relevant account is to be reassigned instep 526, if the relevant account is not to be reassigned, steps 528 and530 are skipped and the account status is determined in step 532.

However, if the account is to be reassigned the vendor is notified ofthe account reassignment in step 528 and the account is reassigned instep 530. Next, the account status is determined in step 532 and thevendor is then notified of the account status in step 534, the procedurethen ends in step 536.

In one embodiment, the present invention also enables the vendor tosubmit a closing recommendation, including the underlying reasoning forsuch a recommendation. Each account receives an action which alerts thehandler that the vendor recommends closing. The handler will then reviewthe account and determine whether or not to close the account based onthe vendor's recommendation. This review process may also be automated.

When a file is successfully referred to the vendor, a strategy isassigned within the system. This strategy is preferably determined bythe client and is unique to the client based on the type of referral.Alternatively, the system may automatically assign a strategy based on,inter alia, the action code, referral type, data mining, or predictivemodeling. There are several methods by which a given account may berejected by one vendor and reassigned to another in accordance with themethods described herein, without departing from the spirit of thepresent invention. Thus, the methods in accordance with severalembodiments of the present invention used when reassigning a vendor to aspecific account are described below with respect to the relevantfigures.

FIG. 6 depicts the steps taken when periodically managing and adjustingthe vendor for a given account in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. The procedure in FIG. 6 starts in step 600, andproceeds to step 602 where it is determined if the relevant account isrejected by the current vendor. If the relevant account is not rejected,the procedure ends in step 616. If the relevant account is rejected bythe current vendor it is determined if the account is rejected by alleligible vendors in step 604, if the account is rejected by all eligiblevendors the account is closed in step 606 and the procedure ends in step616.

If the account is not rejected by all eligible vendors a new vendor ischosen using the automatic allocation method in step 608, the allocationmethod can be any automatic method known in the art (e.g. based on roundrobin logic, a percent allocation by file to an acceptable vendor, datamining, etc,).

Next it is determined if the vendor accepts the account in step 610, ifthe vendor accepts the account, the account is assigned to the chosenvendor in step 612 and the procedure ends in step 616. If the vendordoes not accept the account, it is determined if there are any othervendors eligible to have the relevant account assigned to them in step614. If there are not other vendors eligible to have the relevantaccount assigned to them the account is closed in step 606 and theprocedure ends in step 616.

If there are any other vendors eligible to have the relevant accountassigned to them, steps 608 and 610 are repeated until either a vendoris chosen or the account is closed. The procedure ends in step 616.

FIG. 7 depicts the steps taken when periodically managing and adjustingthe vendor for a given account in accordance with an alternativeembodiment of the present invention. The procedure in FIG. 7 starts instep 700, and proceeds to step 602 where it is determined if therelevant account is rejected by the current vendor. If the relevantaccount is not rejected the procedure ends in step 706. If the accountis rejected by the current vendor it is determined if the account isrejected by all eligible vendors in step 604, if the account is rejectedby all eligible vendors the account is closed in step 606 and theprocedure ends, in step 706.

If the account is not rejected by all eligible vendors the optimalcriteria for a vendor to have in order to handle the relevant account isdetermined in step 702, and a new vendor is chosen based on whicheligible vendor best fits the optimal criteria selected in step 704

Next it is determined if the vendor accepts the account in step 610, ifthe vendor accepts the account, the account is assigned to the chosenvendor in step 612 and the procedure ends in step 706. If the vendordoes not accept the account, it is determined if there are any othervendors eligible to have the relevant account assigned to them in step614. If there are no other vendors eligible to have the relevant accountassigned to them the account is closed in step 606 and the procedureends in step 706.

If there are other vendors eligible to have the relevant accountassigned to them, steps 704 and 610 are repeated until either a vendoris chosen or the account is closed. The procedure ends in step 706.

FIG. 8 depicts the steps taken when periodically managing and adjustingthe vendor for a given account in accordance with yet anotheralternative embodiment of the present invention. The procedure in FIG. 8starts in step 800, and proceeds to step 602 where it is determined ifthe relevant account is rejected by the current vendor. If the relevantaccount is not rejected the procedure ends in step 804. If the accountis rejected by the current vendor it is determined if the account isrejected by all eligible vendors in step 604, if the account is rejectedby all eligible vendors the account is closed in step 606 and theprocedure ends in step 804. If the account is not rejected by alleligible vendors a new vendor is chosen manually in step 802.

Next it is determined if the vendor accepts the account in step 610, ifthe vendor accepts the account, the account is assigned to the chosenvendor in step 612 and the procedure ends in step 804. If the vendordoes not accept the account, it is determined if there are any othervendors eligible to have the relevant account assigned to them in step614. If there are no other vendors eligible to have the relevant accountassigned to them the account is closed in step 606 and the procedureends in step 804.

If there are other vendors eligible to have the relevant accountassigned to them, steps 802 and 610 are repeated until either a vendoris chosen or the account is closed. The procedure ends in step 804.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention,the vendor can send actions (e.g. notes) to the system for loading tothe account. These notes may be universal and thus used by all vendorsfor all clients. Advantageously, this benefits all clients and vendorsby enabling them, inter alia, to avoid duplicative work, learn from eachother, and further increase efficiency in processing and handling files.The ability to view certain notes can be limited to select vendorsand/or select clients, as desired. Furthermore, these notes may beprovided to the client to update the account. The actions may be limitedby the client. In this scenario, the client configures a limited numberof standard actions.

An action code or strategy is preferably inserted at a determinedinterval of time to alert the client that the assigned vendor has notyet successfully closed the file or established a payment plan. This maybe accomplished via, among other things, a polling routine.

Vendors can close the file once they complete the necessary tasks. Thisclosure is then communicated to the client via a file feed or through aninterface. The file is noted as to the reason for closure. When theaccount is closed, the referral type for that particular file is found.Each referral type has an associated fee percentage, which will bemultiplied by the collected amount to determine the fee amount.

A detailed billing report is preferably compiled based on all closedfiles in a given period. This report may comprise various informationabout the account, including, but not limited to, the claim number, theamount collected, the fee, and the net subrogation amount.

Preferably, if a first placement strategy is unsuccessful (e.g. nopayment after a certain period) and the file remains open, the strategypreferably is allowed to automatically progress to a second placementstrategy and vendor. If the second placement vendor is unsuccessful, thefile is preferably automatically closed.

It is contemplated that there may be a business need to reassign a blockof files from one vendor to another (e.g. due to poor performance,change in contract, etc). In this scenario, the client is able to selectsome or all of the accounts referred to a particular vendor and referthem to another vendor of its choice.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the client (e.g. automobileclient) may identify a group amongst a plurality of files that arelikely to have a favorable outcome to the client but require specificprocessing (e.g. auto insurance claim where the liable party does nothave insurance but is considered likely to pay) by a specialized vendor(e.g. debt collector, attorney, subrogation specialist, etc). The clientmay then transfer the selected group of claims to a vendor (e.g. debtcollection specialist) which requires processing and management.

Next, the client may determine which information is relevant to eachfile (e.g. type of car accident, makes of cars involved, models andyears of cars involved, location of car accident, etc.) in order todetermine the likely outcome of the file settlement. In one embodiment,the client may score the files based on the aforementioned informationrelevant to each file in order to determine which files are more likelyto be settled with an outcome favorable to the client.

In an alternative embodiment, the client may determine based on internalstandards which files are likely to be settled an outcome favorable tothe client, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.Next, the client may decide which files are to be pursued aggressively,which are to be pursued less aggressively, and which abandoned, andallocate the files accordingly to the vendors which are the most likelyto yield a favorable outcome to the client based on scoring or any otherrelevant information.

Subsequently, the client may transfer the claim information and allrelevant materials to the vendor for processing and handling, the clientmay determine which vendor is likely to yield the most favorable outcomein a given file, the client may also determine how to distribute thefiles based on the cost of each vendor. Alternatively, the client mayuse any or all of the aforementioned factors, as well as any otherfactors the client deems fit to determine which vendor will handle eachfile.

Furthermore, a vendor may provide the client with a lower rate onreferred files for a preferred returning client, a large amount of filesallocated, or any other factor the vendor sees fit, without departingfrom the spirit of the present invention. Additionally, those claimswhose outcome is determined to have a high probability of beingunfavorable to the client, may be sent to a low cost vendor. In analternative embodiment, such claims may not be pursued at all.

In the preferred embodiment, the above described steps will beimplemented via an integrated online platform. However, the vendor,client, and/or adverse party may choose to send all materials viastandard means (e.g. mail, physical delivery, etc), this may be donewithout departing from the spirit of the present invention.

It will be apparent to those of skill in the art that numerous changesmay be made in such details without departing from the spirit and theprinciples of the invention. It should be appreciated that the presentinvention is capable of being embodied in other forms without departingfrom its essential characteristics.

The system of the present invention enables multiple clients to refer avariety of files to a select group of vendors having expertise in aparticular line of business or process. The present invention preferablyprovides clients with a network of such vendors that would not normallybe available to the clients without a considerable amount of time andresearch to find such expert vendors. Furthermore, the present inventionprovides a robust and flexible platform to support diverse referrals andworkflow needs. The present invention also creates a set of standardreports that monitor the vendor management process.

The present invention preferably automatically triggers files at acertain point/action in a strategy workflow. The present invention alsoenables a client to manually trigger files by inserting an action on anaccount. Triggered files are preferably automatically allocated across apool of qualified vendors. The present invention preferably determinesfrequency of referrals by the client, the file type, or both.

The present invention may also provide vendors with the ability toimmediately view pertinent information online for referred accounts, toaccess various documents related to the referral, and to accept, reject,and/or return a referred file. Furthermore, the present inventionenables the clients and eligible vendors to communicate regarding areferred file. Preferably, an online platform is provided through whichthe vendors can submit correspondence regarding the referred, rejected,and/or returned accounts.

If an online platform is implemented as described above, the system willsend the vendor a referral file containing all the necessary files (e.g.claim details) via the online platform. Larger vendors (e.g. subrogationvendors) typically export the necessary files to their internal systems.Smaller vendors (e.g. attorneys) typically will not. In the lattersituation, the system of the present invention provides smaller vendorswith a report format containing the necessary information tosuccessfully process and handle the referral.

Files may be allocated, for example, based on round robin logic, apercent allocation by file type to each acceptable vendor, data mining,or predictive modeling (e.g. based on such factors as expertise in agiven field, prior success rate, time for successful completion, etc.).Alternatively, the client may select a specific vendor to whom the filewill be referred. In this scenario, the allocation process is bypassed.Once the file has been allocated to the vendor, the workflow platform isupdated with that vendor as the external specialist for the account.

Advantageously, the present invention refers related accounts to thesame vendor thereby further increasing the efficiency of the referralprocess. Referring related accounts to the same vendor is advantageousto both the client and the vendor. The Vendors who have previouslyaccepted similar referrals may be more likely to accept future relatedreferrals. Also, the vendor gains additional experience with each newreferral thus increasing the likelihood of quick and successfulperformance to complete the necessary tasks related to the referrals.Furthermore, the client may manually override this option and choose avendor to whom the files should be referred in the future.

It is possible that all eligible vendors have reviewed and rejected areferred file. In this case, the referred file is preferablyautomatically closed. Alternatively, the referred file may be held openfor a certain period. The system of the present invention periodicallychecks to determine whether any new eligible vendors meeting thenecessary criteria exist. If such new vendors exist, the file isreferred to them for review.

Additionally, the present invention preferably alerts the client if afile has been referred for more than a certain period, but has not beenclosed. If a first placement vendor fails to close the referred fileafter a certain period, the file is automatically advanced in strategyand assigned to a second placement vendor.

The present invention also provides vendors with the option to submit arecommendation to close the file. The handler then preferably reviewsthe recommendation and determines whether or not to close the file. Itis further contemplated that such a review may be automated.

When a vendor accepts a referred file, the system of present inventionassigns the appropriate strategy and actions for that particular filetype. After a vendor completes its work on a file, it has the ability toclose the file. Closure of the file preferably automatically generatesthe calculation of a fee for services. The present invention mayautomatically compile a billing report for a specified period based onthese fees.

FIG. 9 depicts a system on which the methods of the present inventionmay be implemented. The present invention relates to the field of vendormanagement, and specifically to a vendor assignment for claim handlingproduct system, apparatus and method which includes at least one centralprocessing computer or computer network server. Network server includesat least one controller or central processing unit (CPU or processor),at least one communication port or hub, at least one random accessmemory (RAM), at least one read-only memory (ROM) and one or moredatabases or data storage devices. All of these later elements are incommunication with the CPU to facilitate the operation of the networkserver. The network server may be configured in many different ways. Forexample, network server may be a conventional standalone server computeror alternatively, the function of server may be distributed acrossmultiple computing systems and architectures.

The network server may also be configured in a distributed architecture,wherein databases and processors are housed in separate units orlocations. Some such servers perform primary processing functions andcontain at a minimum, a RAM, a ROM, and a general controller orprocessor. In such an embodiment, each of these servers is attached to acommunications hub or port that serves as a primary communication linkwith other servers, client or user computers and other related devices.The communications hub or port may have minimal processing capabilityitself, serving primarily as a communications router. A variety ofcommunications protocols may be part of the system, including but notlimited to: Ethernet, SAP, SAS.TM., ATP, Bluetooth, GSM and TCP/IP.

Data storage device may include a hard magnetic disk drive, opticalstorage units, CD-ROM drives, or flash memory. Data storage devicecontains databases used in processing transactions and/or calculationsin accordance with the present invention, including at least one vendormanagement database and at least one file distribution database. In oneembodiment, database software creates and manages these databases. Inone embodiment calculations and/or algorithms of the present inventionare stored in storage device and executed by the CPU.

The controller comprises a processor, such as one or more conventionalmicroprocessors and one or more supplementary co-processors such as mathco-processors. The processor is in communication with a communicationport through which the processor communicates with other devices such asother servers, user terminals or devices. The communication port mayinclude multiple communication channels for simultaneous communicationwith, for example, other processors, servers or client terminals. Asstated, devices in communication with each other need not be continuallytransmitting to each other. On the contrary, such devices need onlytransmit to each other as necessary, may actually refrain fromexchanging data most of the time, and may require several steps to beperformed to establish a communication link between the devices.

The processor also is in communication with a data storage device. Thedata storage device may comprise an appropriate combination of magnetic,optical and/or semiconductor memory, and may include, for example, RAM,ROM, flash drive, an optical disc such as a compact disc and/or a harddisk or drive. The processor and the data storage device each may be,for example, located entirely within a single computer or othercomputing device; or connected to each other by a communication medium,such as a USB port, serial port cable, a coaxial cable, an Ethernet typecable, a telephone line, a radio frequency transceiver or other similarwireless or wireline medium or combination of the foregoing.

The data storage device may store, for example, (i) a program (e.g.,computer program code and/or a computer program product) adapted todirect the processor in accordance with the present invention, andparticularly in accordance with the processes described in detailhereinafter with regard to the controller; (ii) a database adapted tostore information that may be utilized to store information required bythe program. The database includes multiple records, each recordincludes fields that are specific to the present invention such as thelikely outcome of a settlement in a file, scores for vendors, adverseparty contact information, client information etc.

The program may be stored, for example, in a compressed, an uncompiledand/or an encrypted format, and may include computer program code. Theinstructions of the program may be read into a main memory of theprocessor from a computer-readable medium other than the data storagedevice, such as from a ROM or from a RAM. While execution of sequencesof instructions in the program causes the processor to perform theprocess steps described herein, hard-wired circuitry may be used inplace of, or in combination with, software instructions forimplementation of the processes of the present invention.

Thus, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to anyspecific combination of hardware and software. Suitable computer programcode may be provided for performing numerous functions such asmonitoring the performance of a vendor, allocating files to a vendor,determining which vendor's are to receive which files, etc. Thefunctions described above are merely exemplary and should not beconsidered exhaustive of the type of function which may be performed bythe computer program code of the present invention, as the systemdescribed herein is suitable for performing all of the functionsnecessary for the implementation of the present invention.

The computer program code required to implement the above functions (andthe other functions described herein) can be developed by a person ofordinary skill in the art, and is not described in detail herein.

The computing system 914 would generally be used by a client 902 howeverthe system may be operated by any individual or organization withoutdeparting from the spirit of the present invention. All of the modulesdescribed herein are operably inter-connected via a bi-directionalconnection with a central serial bus 938. The serial bus 938 serves toreceive information from every single module, as well as to transmitinformation from one module to another. The computing system 914includes a display module 904, and a generating module 906. Thegenerating module 906 may be used for generating reports regarding avendor's performance in a given claim, reports regarding the likelyoutcome of a claim or file processing, the likely response of theadverse party, and scores of claims and vendors.

The computing system 914 additionally includes a payment module 908 formaking periodic payments to a vendor, a client of the client or adverseparty and for receiving a payment from a vendor or an adverse party.

The system further comprises an automatic allocation module 910 forautomatically determining which vendors are to receive which files.Furthermore, the system comprises a file transfer module 912 fortransferring files to a vendor, transferring files to an adverse party,transferring files to the client, receiving files from a vendor,receiving files from an adverse party, and receiving files from theclient.

Additionally, the computing system 914 includes: a storage drive 916 forreceiving data stored on an optical disc, a processing module 918 forprocessing digital data received by and contained in the computingsystem 914, a communication module 920 for bi-directional communicationwith external and telecommunications systems, a data storage module 922for storing and managing digital information, a text data input module924 for inputting data in the form of text, and a data input module 926for converting to digital format documents and images and inputting theminto the computing system 914.

Finally, the computing system 914 includes: an audio data input module928 for receiving and inputting audio information, an audio data outputmodule 930 for outputting data in audio format (i.e. recorded speech,synthetically generated speech from digital text, etc), a memory module932 for temporarily storing information as it is being processed by theprocessing module 918, a universal serial bus interface module 934 forreceiving and transmitting data to and from devices capable ofestablishing a universal serial bus connection, and a digital data inputinterface module 936 for receiving data contained in digital storagedevices (e.g. floppy disk, zip drive, 8 mm digital tape, etc).

The term computer-readable medium as used herein refers to any mediumthat provides or participates in providing instructions to the processorof the computing device (or any other processor of a device describedherein) for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including butnot limited to, non-volatile media, volatile media, and transmissionmedia. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical or magneticdisks, such as memory. Volatile media include dynamic random accessmemory (DRAM), which typically constitutes the main memory. Common formsof computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, aflexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, aCD-ROM, DVD, any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, anyother physical medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM orEEPROM (electronically erasable programmable read-only memory), aFLASH-EEPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave asdescribed hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer canread.

Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequences of one or more instructions to the processor (or anyother processor of a device described herein) for execution. Forexample, the instructions may initially be borne on a magnetic disk of aremote computer. The remote computer can load the instructions into itsdynamic memory and send the instructions over an Ethernet connection,cable line, or even telephone line using a modem. A communicationsdevice local to a computing device (or, e.g., a server) can receive thedata on the respective communications line and place the data on asystem bus for the processor. The system bus carries the data to mainmemory, from which the processor retrieves and executes theinstructions. The instructions received by main memory may optionally bestored in memory either before or after execution by the processor. Inaddition, instructions may be received via a communication port aselectrical, electromagnetic or optical signals, which are exemplaryforms of wireless communications or data streams that carry varioustypes of information.

Servers of the present invention may also interact and/or control one ormore user devices or terminals. The user device or terminal may includeany one or a combination of a personal computer, a mouse, a keyboard, acomputer display, a touch screen, LCD, voice recognition software, orother generally represented by input/output devices required toimplement the above functionality. The program also may include programelements such as an operating system, a database management system anddevice drivers that allow the processor to interface with computerperipheral devices (e.g. a video display, a keyboard, a computer mouse,etc.).

It is apparent from the above description that some notable key featuresof the present invention enable the client to securely and costeffectively assign various file types to certain vendors for furtherprocessing and handling, and provides a customized file referral layout.

Further notable key features of the present invention are assigning aparticular vendor from a pool of vendors through the implementation ofclient set rules, enabling a vendor to access certain portions of areferred file/s via an integrated and online platform in order to make adetermination of whether to accept or reject the referred file/s, andenabling the vendor to download files of accepted referrals to its owninternal system where the files may be utilized within the vendor'spreferred workflow.

Additionally, other notable key features of the present inventioninclude the capabilities of notifying the client if the vendor rejectsthe file, reassigning rejected files to other vendors, enabling clientsand vendors to communicate electronically, enabling clients and vendorsto make updates to the referral file, enabling clients to automaticallydirect files to the appropriate pool of eligible vendors whilemaintaining control of the referred volume, and providing a system thatmanages a plurality of vendors through improved tracking of files andvendor performance.

Furthermore, other notable key features of the present invention includethe capabilities of providing vendors immediate electronic access toreferral data, providing vendors with a single point of contact formultiple clients enabling vendors to easily accept or reject files attheir discretion, and enabling a client or vendor to processtransactions one-by-one, in bulk, or in selected groups.

The key features of the present invention presented above are describedfor illustrative purposes only and do not serve to limit the scope ofthe invention to the specific features listed, nor do they represent anexhaustive enumeration of all aspects of the invention. Accordingly,well known methods, procedures, and substances for both carrying out theobjectives of the present invention and illustrating the preferredembodiment are incorporated herein but have not been described in detailas not to unnecessarily obscure novel aspects of the present invention.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the keyfeatures, preferred embodiment and alternative embodiments, whichembodiments have been set forth in considerable detail for the purposesof making a complete disclosure of the invention, such embodiments aremerely exemplary and are not intended to be limiting or represent anexhaustive enumeration of all aspects of the invention. Thus, the scopeof the invention, shall be defined solely by the following claims.

Further, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that numerouschanges may be made in such details without departing from the spiritand the principles of the invention. It should be appreciated that thepresent invention is capable of being embodied in other forms withoutdeparting from its essential characteristics.

1. A system for managing and distributing a plurality of files to atleast one vendor from at least one client, said system comprising: adata storage module for storing information associated with saidplurality of files; a computing system, in communication with said datastorage module, said at least one vendor, and said at least one client,said computing system having a processor configured to transmit a set offiles using a communication module from said client to said vendor forprocessing by said vendor and to provide access to materials relevant tosaid transmitted files to both said client and said vendor; and whereinspecific vendors are selected for receiving specific files at least inpart based on data provided by said client to said system.
 2. The systemof claim 1 wherein said communication module is configured to transmitand receive files over a secure private network.
 3. The system of claim1 wherein said processor is further configured to score said at leastone vendor to determine which vendor is best qualified to receive eachof said plurality of files.
 4. The system of claim 3 further comprisinga generating module for generating at least one report of specificvendors best suited for processing of certain types of files using saidscoring of said at least one vendor.
 5. The system of claim 1 whereinsaid processor is further configured to score said plurality of files inorder to determine which vendor is best qualified to receive each ofsaid plurality of files.
 6. The system of claim 3 further comprising agenerating module for generating at least one report describing whichspecific files should be transmitted to certain vendors best suited forprocessing of said specific files using said scoring of said at leastone vendor, and outlining a likely outcome of said processing of saidplurality of files.
 7. The system of claim 1 wherein a specific vendoris selected from a pool of vendors through the implementation of rulesset by said client and implemented by said system automatically.
 8. Thesystem of claim 7 wherein said vendor is selected based on at least oneof the following factors: vendor's performance on client files receivedby vendor to date, vendor's performance by work type, vendor'sexperience by years, quality of file processing done by vendor to date,vendor's prior success rate, vendor's cost, and vendor's time tosuccessful completion of work.
 9. The system of claim 1 furthercomprising an online platform which enables said at least one vendor andsaid at least one client to access predetermined portions of referredfiles, and to allow said vendor to make a determination of whether toaccept or reject said referred files.
 10. The system of claim 9 whereinsaid online platform is capable of at least one of the following:enabling said at least one vendor to download files of acceptedreferrals to its own internal system where said files may be utilizedwithin said vendor's preferred workflow, notifying said client if saidvendor rejects said file, and enabling said client and said vendor tocommunicate via updates to said referred files.
 11. The system of claim9 wherein said online platform is capable of at least one of thefollowing: reassigning files from one vendor to another vendor, allowingsaid clients to automatically direct specific files to a pool ofeligible vendors while maintaining control of said referred files,monitoring a plurality of vendors through improved tracking of files andvendor performance, and providing said at least one vendor immediateelectronic access to referral data.
 12. The system of claim 9 whereinsaid online platform is capable of at least one of the following:providing said vendors with a single point of contact for multipleclients, enabling said vendors to accept or reject files at theirdiscretion via a user interface or a preprogrammed computer code, andenabling said at least one client or said at least one vendor to processtransactions one-by-one, in bulk, or in selected groups.
 13. A systemfor managing a plurality of files distributed to at least one vendorfrom at least one client wherein said files comprise at least somematerials related to said client seeking compensation from at least oneadverse party, said system comprising: a data storage module for storinginformation associated with said plurality of files; a computing system,in communication with said data storage module, said at least onevendor, said at least one adverse party, and said at least one client,said computing system having a processor configured to transmit a set offiles using a communication module between said client, said adverseparty, and said vendor for processing by at least said vendor and saidadverse party, and to provide access to materials relevant to saidtransmitted files to said client, said vendor, and said adverse party;and wherein specific vendors are selected for receiving specific filesat least in part based on data provided by said client to said system,and at least in part based on said adverse party involved.
 14. Thesystem of claim 13 further comprising an online platform which enablessaid at least one vendor, said at least one adverse party and said atleast one client to access predetermined portions of referred files,allow said adverse party to add file related materials to availablematerials via said online platform, and to allow said vendor to make adetermination of whether to accept or reject said referred files. 15.The system of claim 14 wherein said online platform is capable of atleast one of the following: enabling said at least one vendor and saidat least one adverse party to download files to their respectiveinternal systems where said files may be utilized within said vendor'sand said adverse party's respective workflows, notifying said client ifsaid vendor rejects said file, and enabling said client, said adverseparty and said vendor to communicate via updates to the referral file.16. The system of claim 14 wherein said online platform is capable of atleast one of the following: reassigning files form one vendor to anothervendor, allowing said clients to automatically direct specific files toa pool of eligible vendors while maintaining control of the referredfiles, monitoring a plurality of vendors through improved tracking offiles and vendor performance, and providing said at least one vendor,said at least one adverse party and said client immediate electronicaccess to said referred file.
 17. The system of claim 14 wherein saidonline platform is capable of at least one of the following: providingsaid at least one vendor and said at least one adverse party with asingle point of contact for multiple clients, enabling said at least onevendor to accept or reject files at their discretion via a userinterface or a preprogrammed computer code, and enabling said at leastone client, at least one adverse party and at least one vendor toprocess transactions one-by-one, in bulk, or in selected groups.
 18. Acomputer implemented method for managing a plurality of filesdistributed to at least one vendor from at least one client wherein thefiles comprise at least some materials related to the client seekingcompensation from at least one adverse party, the method comprising:identifying by the client relevant file parameters necessary forprocessing by the vendor; determining by the client the likelihood of adesired outcome resultant from file processing by the vendor based on atleast the relevant file parameters and the adverse party parametersinvolved; determining by the client which files to send to which of theat least one vendor based at least in part on the determined likelihoodof a desired outcome resultant from file processing; sending of thefiles by the client to the vendor as determined by the client; andreceiving files from the client and processing the files by the vendor.19. The computer implemented method of claim 18 wherein an onlineplatform is available to the vendor, the client and the adverse party,the platform enables the vendor, the adverse party and the client toaccess predetermined portions of referred files, allow the adverse partyto add file related materials to the available materials via the onlineplatform, and to allow the vendor to make a determination of whether toaccept or reject referred files.
 20. The computer implemented method ofclaim 19 wherein the online platform is capable of at least one of thefollowing: enabling the at least one vendor, the at least one client,and the at least one adverse party to download files to their respectiveinternal systems where the files may be utilized within the vendor's andthe adverse party's respective workflows, notifying the client if thevendor rejects the file, and enabling the client, the adverse party andthe vendor to communicate via updates to the referred file.
 21. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 19 wherein the online platform iscapable of at least one of the following: reassigning files form onevendor to another vendor, allowing the client to automatically directspecific files to a pool of eligible vendors while maintaining controlof the referred volume, monitoring a plurality of vendors throughimproved tracking of files and vendor performance, and providing thevendor, the adverse party and the client immediate electronic access tothe referred file.
 22. The computer implemented method of claim 19wherein the online platform is capable of at least one of the following:providing the at least one vendor and the at least one adverse partywith a single point of contact for multiple clients, enabling the atleast one vendor to accept or reject files at their discretion via auser interface or a preprogrammed computer code, and enabling the atleast one client, at least one adverse party and at least one vendor toprocess transactions one-by-one, in bulk, or in selected groups.
 23. Thecomputer implemented method of claim 18 wherein the client utilizes acomputer system to score the at least one vendor to determine whichvendor is best qualified to receive each of the plurality of files. 24.The computer implemented method of claim 23 further comprising the stepof generating at least one report of specific vendors best suited forprocessing of certain types of files using the scoring of the at leastone vendor.
 25. The computer implemented method of claim 24 furthercomprising the step of scoring by the client the plurality of files inorder to determine which vendor is best qualified to receive each of theplurality of files.